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The International Ice Hockey Federation announced that the 2020 World Championships would be cancelled. Organizers made this decision after the increasing outbreak of Covid-19 throughout European Nations, primarily Switzerland. Considering that sixteen nations would’ve competed in Switzerland for this championship, organizers were forced to cancel the May 8th to 24th hockey competition.

The President of IIHF expressed that this has been challenging for decision with everyone involved, but that the protection of globally hockey communities is more important than a championship. Rene Fazel mentioned that it’s the responsibility of government bodies, major corporations, sporting outfits and the respective individual to ensure that Covid-19 doesn’t spread internationally anymore than it already has.

It should be mentioned that this is the 1st time in three decades that the IIHF Championship has been cancelled. The last time would’ve been 1988, which followed after two additional cancellations in 1980 and 84. Rene Fazel noted that something special would be implemented next season to honour the fallen individuals from Covid-19. The President was forced to make these announcements after multiple other hockey venues were terminated throughout Switzerland, which included the 2020 IIHF World Women’s Championship for March 7th. This venue would’ve been held in Nova Scotia for March 7th. An additional site for U18 Players was cancelled in Michigan.

Global Restrictions

Travelling internationally have become virtually impossible under the conditions of Covid-19. The International Ice Hockey Federation noted that transferring all registered players to Switzerland would be a logistical challenge for organizers. This means that the most significant hockey competition for Canadians and Europeans have been cancelled for a single year. It’s unknown what the financial impact will be with the lost sponsorship contracts, returned tickets and merchandise sales.

The federation confirmed in their announcement that protective measures had been implemented for their employed workers. These individuals are located at home in self-isolation and committing to their jobs in safer conditions. Employees will continue to be paid for their respective workloads through a robust insurance program maintained by IIHF. Organizers expressed that the safety of their staff, supporters and the overall community is more important than providing this tournament to millions.

The 2020 World Junior Hockey Finals are nearly completed, with the two teams slated for the championship having been selected. This comes after most sports analysts claimed that Canada would fight against Russia for the championship cup, which hasn’t been the case for nine years.

Ivan Morozov, who the Vegas Knights have rights on, allowed Russia to conquer Sweden during an overtime period. Morozov scored two goals and was responsible for leading Russia to a 5 – 4 victory and a spot in the gold medal game against Canada. After guarantying their final placement in the championship, Morozov was seen collecting the winning puck and skating towards his goaltender. Hugo Alnefelt was given the winning puck for his capabilities at defending against Sweden, a team that displayed their most reliable offensive in years.

The Russian National Juniors team now walks into the championship title against Canada, seeking their first cup-victory since 2011. The final takes place on January 5th, 2020 and will be one of the most significant matches of the new decade. Sweden will now compete against Finland for the Bronze Cup placement. This comes after Alexander Khovanov acquired one goal in the first period, with Yegor Sokolov scoring two goals in the third period. When Morozov cemented his two final goals during overtime, Sweden lost its gold cup placement. This was even with the formidable performances displayed by Samuel Fagemo, Nil Lundkvist and Ramus Sandin. Losing this matchup comes as a horrible outcome for Sweden’s Juniors, who received public support.

Canada Facing Against Russia

After not performing as expected throughout the first matches in the World Juniors 2020, Canada was looking for redemption. After re-evaluating themselves, the national team displayed numerous performances where they dominated over competitors. It resulted in the Canadian Juniors acquiring semi-final placement against Finland. Within the first four minutes of their matchup, the Canadians earned four goals on net. The defencemen and Head Goalie for Canada displayed incredible talent, not allowing for one shot to make the net. It prompted a 5 – 0 victory for the Canadian National Team.

This win wasn’t a walk in the park for Canada though, as they experienced challenges throughout the 75 minutes of playtime. Barret Hayton suffered an injury throughout the third period, prompting one of Canada’s star players to be benched unexpectedly. It should be noted that this win comes after the Canadians lost to the Finnish last year on their home soil. This victory is a significant leap forward for Dale Hunter, the Head Coach for the Canadian. Going forward they look to defeat Russia and acquire championship victory.

On Monday, the Globe Anti-Doping Firm introduced Russia has been prohibited from significant global competitors for the following four years. That not just consists of the 2022 Beijing Games. Yet likewise the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, upcoming young people Olympics, Paralympics, and also FIFA’s Globe Mug.

The restriction follows the Globe Anti-Doping Firm’s 12-member exec board elected with conformity Testimonial Board that Russia’s Anti-Doping Firm, or else called RUSADA. The official statement read: “The outright violation by the Russian authorities of RUSADA’s reinstatement problems, authorized by the ExCo (Exec Board) in September 2018, required a strong reaction.”

The CRC’s 26-page suggestion, made in late-November, charged RUSADA of stopping working from abiding with the reinstatement problems establish forth by WADA. This consisted of deliberately meddling with the information asked for from RUSADA’s Moscow lab. Much of the information related to the vast 2016 doping rumour that took location throughout the 2014 Olympics in Sochi that saw favourable medication examinations switched out via a fancy system.

RUSADA

RUSADA passing on the information was regarded as a vital problem of the reinstatement procedure. It would permit the anti-doping with under the claims of a systematic conspiracy theory to dope Russian professional athletes. It with make individual Russian professional athletes that examined favourable at the 2014 Olympics can be suitably penalized and also “equally as significantly… make certain that innocent Russian professional athletes might be free from uncertainty,” checked out WADA’s declaration.

As it was with the 2018 Olympics, nevertheless, many Russian professional athletes will certainly be able to contend under a neutral classification also if the restriction is maintained. Russian professional athletes that can “show that they are not linked in any means” in the doping rumour will undoubtedly be qualified to get involved at the Olympics, likely under the very same Olympic Athletes from Russia banner they contended in Pyeongchang.

During the middle of this year, Ryan Straschnitzki, one of the survivors of the fatal crash which killed sixteen young ice hockey stars, signed a multi-year deal with sportswear manufacturing giant, Adidas. This week the advert in which he is featuring aired for the first time. Straschnitzki has been left paralyzed from his waist down. Yet the young man is still full of hopes and dreams for the future.

On the 6th of April 2018, the Humbro Bronco’s junior team was on their way to a playoff game when Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was distracted by a flapping tarp on the back of his semi-truck and ran over a stop sign. He crashed into the bus and killed sixteen players and left 13 injured. Earlier this year Sidhu was sentenced to eight years in prison after he admitted guilt to 29 counts of reckless driving.

This year Straschnitzki who is from Airdrie, Alta, returned to his former stadium to attend the season-opener against Notre Dame Hounds. This year is also the 50th anniversary of the Bronco’s, and it was a very special event for 20-year-old to attend. It was exactly 526 days after his accident, but he stated that he took the time to heal and knew that now is the time to return.

Holding On To Brilliant Dreams

From a very young age on Straschnitzki wanted to represent his country on an international level. Unfortunately, the dream was taken away on that unfortunate day which landed him in a wheelchair. Yet this young man has a much stronger spirit and will to succeed and now shifted his focus to representing his country in the Canadian Para-ice hockey team. More than that, his dream is for the Canadian team to win gold at the Paralympics scheduled to take place in Beijing in 2022. Of course, he sees himself as part of this team. In the Adidas advertisement, Straschnitzki says that when one door closes, another opens up. This seems to be the life motto of this young ice hockey player. He doesn’t back down from his dreams, regardless of how hard the challenges are which he needs to overcome.

It is this beautiful attitude that earned him the recognition to be nominated for the newly added award at the Canadian Sports Hall of Game, the People’s Choice Award. Winners of this award are being recognized for their brilliant contribution to the sport and their communities. They are also noted as possible future abductees into the Sports Hall of Fame. Recently Straschnitzki also received recognition for the inspiration which he is too many when he was chosen as the champion for a spinal cord research foundation, Wings of Life. Para-sports and Para-ice hockey also nominated him as a champion. This is all much of a surprise to him and his family who mostly believed that the world would forget about him, but with his determination to excel on the ice, this isn’t likely to happen.

Matt Duchene truly appreciated the fact that he had an extremely short walk when he joined his brand-new team, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matt Duchene’s First Match for the Blue Jackets

Sergei Bobrovsky managed to make a total of 22 saves, and Matt Duchene’s initial match with the Blue Jackets was an incredible 3-0 victory against Ottawa Senators, who was his former team.

Matt Duchene, who was transferred by the Ottawa Senators to the Columbus Blue Jackets hours before the start of the match, was held pointless. Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cam Atkinson, and Josh Anderson managed to score for the Blue Jackets, allowing them to move into third position within the Metropolitan Division.

“I truly enjoyed myself in the rink,” Duchene stated. “It was somewhat of a brilliant way to conclude my time with the Ottawa Senators, and I felt far more comfortable as I was in the building instead of playing somewhere else.”

“It was an extremely important match for us as a team and Craig Anderson played incredibly well who they kept in for a very long time.”

Matt Duchene managed to receive an ovation from fans in the crowd when he was initially introduced in the Blue Jackets starting line-up. Duchene was then booed once he touched the puck in the second shift of the match, and was applauded once a short tribute video was broadcasted in the arena.

Duchene stated that he was extremely happy to form part of a team that has a realistic shot at reaching the playoffs as opposed to being part of a team that need to rebuild the franchise.

“This is exactly what I’ve been looking for and it gets me up in the morning,” Duchene stated. “I’ve been quite fortunate to be part of a wide variety of great international teams and winning some incredible tournaments. However, I’ve never been given the opportunity to participate in the playoffs on a consistent basis.”

Ottawa Senators vs Blue Jackets

Craig Anderson managed to make a total of 37 saves while playing for the Ottawa Senators, who were defeated for three consecutive games in the league.

The Ottawa Senators have gone over 125 minutes since their last goal. They managed to lose against Chicago 8-7 earlier in the week, which was the last match where they had Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, and Mark Stone in their line-up. These there players managed to score 77 goals for Ottawa out of the 186 goals that were scored in the season. Stone and Dzingel were once again scratched on Friday.

Guy Boucher, the Ottawa Senators coach, completely understands the challenges that are facing the team.

“This just proves how difficult it is to produce within the league. Your elite players produce which allows other players to produce as well. If you remove the elite players, the remaining players need to step up and take charge.” Boucher stated.

“These guys eventually transform into elite players, but at the moment it’s quite difficult.”

From Verzina Trophy winners to Stanley Cup champions to all-stars, there are loads of incredible goaltenders in the National Hockey League. It’s for this very reason that we decided to showcase the best goaltenders that the league has to offer in 2019. Let’s take a look at who made our list.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Sergei Bobrovsky

Bobrovsky managed to win 37 matches in the previous season with a goal-against average of 2.42, five shutouts, and a save percentage of .921. This was after his Verzina Trophy season during the 2016/17 season when he had a goal-against average of 2.06, seven shutouts, and a save percentage of .931. He also managed to finish third for the prestigious Hart Trophy that season as NHL MVP.

Washington Capitals – Braden Holtby

Holtby experienced the worst season of his 8-season career in the NHL with a save percentage of .907 and a goal-against average of 2.99. However, he managed to assist the Capitals in winning the Stanley Cup for the very first time in league history where he had a goals-against average of 2.16. He also earned two shutouts and a save percentage of .922 during the playoffs for the Stanley Cup.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Andrei Vasilevskiy

During the first season where he was the number 1 goalie for Tampa Bay, Vasilevskiy managed to finish tied for the lead in the NHL in terms of wins and shutouts. He had a goal-against average of 2.62 along with a save percentage of .920, and that allowed him to finish third in terms of voting when it came to the Verzina Trophy.

Winnipeg Jets – Connor Hellebuyck

The runner-up for the Verzina Trophy in the previous season. Connor Hellebuyck managed to go 44-11-9 to set an NHL single-season record for wins as an American-born goaltender. He ranked within the top 10 goalies in the NHL to make a minimum of 20 starts with a goal-against average of 2.63, six shutouts, and a save percentage of .924.

Los Angeles Kings – Jonathan Quick

Quick managed to accumulate a total of 33 wins in the previous season, making it the 6th time he managed to win that many in the last 8 NHL seasons. In the previous five seasons, he had a goal-against average worse than 2.26, and his save percentage hasn’t been worse than .915. During the 2015/16 season, he managed to lead the league in starts and finished third in voting for the Verzina Trophy which is the 3rd time in 5 seasons he has managed to land in the top 5.

Vegas Golden Knights – Marc-Andre Fleury

Fleury had a goal-against average of 2.24 and was 29-13-4 which allowed him to tie second among goalies in the NHL along with a save percentage of .927 and four shutouts in the previous season with the Vegas Golden Knights. Fleury was selected by Vegas in the NHL Expansion Draft of 2017 from the Pittsburgh Penguins and assisted the Golden Knights to reach the final of the Stanley Cup.

The ability to go to the net with superior skating skills, make jaw-dropping passes, and score sensational goals are all trademarks of a top NHL wing. It’s for this very reason that we decided to compile a list of the best wings in the NHL right now.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Nikita Kucherov

Kucherov has managed to increase his total
points every season since he accumulated 18 as a rookie in the NHL during the
2013/14 season. His career-high of 100 points in the previous season has ranked
him 3rd in the NHL League. He also managed to set career highs in the NHL when
it comes to power-play points and shots on goal. The right wing was tied for an
eleventh place in the league with a total of 7 match-winning goals and scored a
minimum of 30 goals in each of the last three seasons.

Washington Capitals – Alex Ovechkin

The captain for the Capitals led the league with 49 goals in the previous season which was one shy of accumulating 50 for the 8th time in his career for the NHL. The 32-year-old also led the NHL in terms of shots on goal for the 12th time. He has a total of 300 goals spread across 12 full seasons in the NHL. In the previous season, he boasted with 17 power-play goals which are the fifth successive season he managed to score that many. During the playoffs last season, he managed to win the Conn Smythe Trophy with 27 points.

New Jersey Devils – Taylor Hall

Hall was the first player for the New Jersey Devils to claim the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP following career highs in nearly every statistical category, such as shooting percentage, power-play points, rating, points, assists, and goals. The left wing managed to score seven match-winning goals which included 3 in overtime to assist New Jersey in qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the 2011/12 season. Hall boasted with 38 points in a personal 26-match point streak stretching from 2 January to 6 March.

Chicago Blackhawks – Patrick Kane

Kane was leading the Blackhawks in terms of scoring for three consecutive seasons with a total of 76 points in 82 matches. The right wing managed to score a minimum of 21 goals in each of his 11 seasons in the NHL and boasts with 828 points. As a 3-time Stanley Cup champion, Patrick Kane has managed to win the Conn Smythe Trophy during the 2012/13 season and hasn’t missed a single game in the last three seasons.

Boston Bruins – Brad Marchand

Marchand has managed to accumulate 85 points in each of the last two seasons which included a career high in the NHL of 51 assists in the previous season and managed to score a minimum of 34 goals in each of the last three. The left wing accumulated 23 power-play points along with seven match-winning goals in the previous season. This is the 6th time he has managed to be plus-20 in the league.

Whether it’s scoring during a power play, setting up an important goal, or breaking up a huge play, some defensemen have the ability to do it all. Therefore, we decided to select the best defensemen in the NHL at the moment and give you some insight into why these players are so sought-after in the National Hockey League.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Victor Hedman

Hedman managed to win last season’s Norris Trophy. It was the first time Hedman was voted as the best defenseman in the league. He scored a total of 17 goals, and his 63 points allowed him to rank fifth overall. Hedman’s plus-32 rating was a career high for him in the NHL. He averaged ice time of 25.51 and had a staggering 216 shots on goal.

Los Angeles Kings – Drew Doughty

Doughty managed to lead the NHL in terms of total time spent on the ice for the second consecutive season. He managed to accumulate double-digit goals for three consecutive seasons, and his 60 points was a career high in the NHL. His ended with a plus-23 rating and played every single match for the fourth consecutive season. During the 2015/16 season, Doughty claimed the Norris Trophy and has been a finalist three times in the last four seasons.

Ottawa Senators – Erik Karlsson

Karlsson put up fantastic offensive numbers in the previous season despite the fact that the Senators managed to finish with the second-worst NHL record and were ranked 25th in terms of scoring with 219 goals. He managed to accumulate 53 assists, which is the fourth time in five seasons and finished the season with 62 points in only 71 matches. He averaged 26.44 on the ice and is a two-time Norris Trophy winner in 2014/15 and 2011/12. He also managed to block a total of 120 shots in the last season.

San Jose Sharks – Brent Burns

After a slow offensive start, Burns managed to make a comeback and finished with a total of 67 points, placing him second behind Hedman. His power-play points of 27 allowed him to rank fourth among defensemen in the NHL, and his shots of 332 on target placed him third in the league. Burns managed to win the Norris Trophy during the 2016/17 season when he was leading the NHL with 76 points and 29 goals. He also hasn’t missed a single game for four consecutive seasons. Burns boasts with at least 60 points in each of the last four seasons, and during the 2016/17 season, he was voted for the First All-Star Team in the NHL.

Nashville Predators – P.K Subban

The second season for Subban in Nashville was one of the best he experienced in his career where he was voted for the Second All-Star Team in the NHL. His career high was sixteen goals and managed to accumulate 43 assists with 59 points. He has scored a minimum of ten goals in five of the last six seasons and raked in 50 points in four of the past five.

Setting up team members, leading rushes on the ice, and winning vital face-offs are trademarks of a world-class center. Therefore, we decided to list the top centres within the NHL for 2019 might be worth investigating to help those who enjoy placing real money sports wagers.

Edmonton Oilers – Connor McDavid

For the second consecutive season, McDavid has managed to top the list when it comes to best centres. He led scoring within the NHL for the past two seasons and won the Art Ross Trophy with a total of 108 points during the 2017/18 season and 100 points during the 2016/17 season. The consecutive receiver of the Ted Lindsay Award managed to get three hat-tricks in the previous season. Although he missed 37 matches during the 2015/16 season due to an injury, he still ranks third in the last three seasons in terms of points.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby

Crosby managed to accumulate 89 points in 82 matches last season where he finished third in power-play points. During the 2016/17 season, Crosby accumulated a total of 44 goals and was tied for second against Kane. He also helped the Penguins claim their second consecutive Stanley Cup and managed to win the Conn Smythe Trophy during the playoffs for the Stanley Cup.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Evgeni Malkin

During the 2017/18 season, Malkin managed to rake in 98 points which placed him fourth within the NHL and was the most points he scored since the 2011/12 season. Malkin had a total of 14 power-play goals and 7 game-winners which included a 5-game goal streak from 25 Jan to 6 Feb. He also enjoyed a total of 26 multipoint matches which included 12 where he accumulated at least 3 points. In addition, he scored at least 33 goals within 6 of the last 12 seasons in the NHL.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Auston Matthews

Injuries didn’t manage to stop Matthews from an incredible NHL season record during the 2017/18 season. He improved on his Calder Trophy season with a total of 63 points in only 62 matches. He further impressed with 13 power-play goals and achieved 5 game-winning goals for his team who managed to set records for points and wins. He finished his season with a 10 game streak in points.

Colorado Avalanche – Nathan MacKinnon

Mackinnon managed to take his game to brand-new height last season, scoring 97 points with 58 assists and 39 goals, smashing his previous best of 63 points with 39 assists and 24 goals. His game-winning goals, which is a total of 12, tied him for 12th position with 32 power-play points. Last season, he was the runner-up for the Hart Trophy as MVP. From 24 Feb to 22 March he had a 14-match point streak with 14 assists and 13 goals, as well as a 9 point streak from 29 Dec to 20 Jan.

Los Angeles Kings – Anze Kopitar

Kopitar managed to increase his total points
by 40 from the 2016/17 season where he scored 52. He managed to score 27
power-play points and boasted with 6 game-winning goals.

“All players in hockey are bilingual. They understand English and profanity.”

This is a quote that came directly from Gordie Howe.

Since then, the beautiful game of hockey transformed in nearly every possible way. Hockey players from overseas are essentially bilingual or trilingual. However, on the ice, a player’s native tongue is instantly replaced by slang, a completely different language on its own.

Of course, slang is used to exclude outsiders from listening in by using phrases and words only those on the inside can understand. This means you landed on this page for a reason.

Perhaps you want to be on the inside and understand more of what announcers and ice hockey players are saying during a match. Perhaps you want to find out what your kids are blathering to their friends about as a parent, or maybe you want to understand what your team is actually saying as a new member from overseas.

Regardless of the reason, we got you covered thanks to our comprehensive guide on the most common terminology and slang used in hockey.

Hockey Slang in Alphabetical Order

Apple – An Assist

Bar Down – When the hockey puck hits the bottom part of the crossbar and goes in the net

Barn – Arena Rink

Barnburner – High scoring match

Bender – A player who skates badly with his ankles bent in

Beauty – Beautiful play

Biscuit – Puck

Bottle rocket – A goal breaking the water bottle of the goalie

Breakaway – Player has an open skating lane to the goalie without anyone in front of them

Bucket – Helmet

Celly – Celebration after scoring a goal

Cheese – Top shelf of the goal net

Cherry Picker – Player standing behind the defence of the opposing team hoping for a breakaway

Chiclets – A player’s teeth

Clapper – Slapshot

Coast to Coast – A player taking the puck from one side of the ice rink to the other end

Dangle – Deke

Duster – Player collecting dust while on the bench as they don’t play much

Face Wash – Shoving your glove in the face of an opponent

Fishbowl – Full face shield

Flamingo – Player lifting his legs to avoid a shot being blocked

Flow – Player with long hair

Gino – Goal

Goon – Player that only fights to keep other players safe

Gordie Howe Hat-trick – A goal, an assist, and a fight in a single match

Hoser – Loser

Junction – Goal corner where the crossbar meets the post

Light the lamp – To score a goal

Lumber – A player’s hockey stick

Mitts – A player’s hockey gloves

Pigeon – Someone that cannot score on their own

Plug – Useless player

Pond – Outdoor Rink during winter

Silky – Smooth occurrence by the player

Stripes – Referee

Snipe – A perfect shot

Stoned – Great save by goalie

Suicide pass – Player receiving a pass that places him in immediate danger of getting a hard hit

Seater – Jersey

Tape to Tape – Perfect pass to the blade of a teammate

Turtle – Player covers himself completely to avoid a fight

Wheel – A player’s strong skating techniques

Wraparound – A player taking the puck around the back of the opposing net an attempts to score